


the black sheep and the vibrant flower

by SbAntimony



Series: Fields of Asphodel [2]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Awkward Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts), Awkward strelitzia, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Its got au elements, Keyblades (Kingdom Hearts), Kinda, Okay its more like she comes back to life but shhh, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Strelitzia appreciation, Strelitzia is a badass, Strelitzia is an introvert, Strelitzia lives, There need to be more strelitzia tags, Traitor Ventus (Kingdom Hearts), Vanitas Appreciation (Kingdom Hearts), Vanitas Is Bad at Feelings (Kingdom Hearts), Vanitas Redemption (Kingdom Hearts), Vanitas Swears (Kingdom Hearts), obviously
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:35:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23032549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SbAntimony/pseuds/SbAntimony
Summary: Strelitzia just wanted some time to herself. Who knew she would get a friend out of it?A story featuring the unforeseen friendship of Strelitzia and Vanitas.
Relationships: Strelitzia & Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts)
Series: Fields of Asphodel [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1655335
Comments: 20
Kudos: 31





	1. The First Meeting

Strelitzia settled against the wall, out of breath. As far as she could tell, she was in an isolated part of the castle that wasn't visited often, if the dust was any indication.

  
Good. That meant she finally had some time to herself.

  
She slid down the wall, bringing her knees to her chest. Slowly, Strelitzia relaxed. Finally, she was alone. No Lauriam hovering over her shoulder all the time, no Sora with his overwhelming happiness, and no-

  
"Well, well, well. I didn't expect to see anybody come into this wing of the castle."

  
Strelitzia jumped at the gravelly voice, settling into a defensive stance. Across from her stood somebody who bore a striking resemblance to Sora, but in every way he looked like him, there were a thousand ways that he definitely wasn't.

  
The boy's crimson eyes tracked her movements. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "After all, nobody wants to chance running into me."

  
Strelitzia narrowed her eyes. "And who are you?"

  
"Me? I'm Vanitas. Just the black sheep of this happy little family." Vanitas shrugged. He tipped his head towards Strelitzia. "You gonna tell me your name? It's only fair."

  
Strelitzia pursed her lips, but ultimately relaxed her posture. "I'm Strelitzia, Lauriam's sister. It's a pleasure to meet you."

  
"Yeah, right." Snorted the boy. "Glad I get to finally put a name to the face, though. I don't think I've ever seen someone so determinedly avoid our very own golden boy."  


Strelitzia was initially confused by the moniker, but then she realized that there was only one person she had been avoiding. "I don't avoid Ventus."

  
Vanitas rolled his eyes. "Keep lying to me like this and I might start getting offended. It's clear to see, you're avoiding him. And any time you're not, I wouldn't say you're pleasant either."

Strelitzia was silent at that.  
"So, I figured I'd talk to the only person that doesn't like the blessed brother of mine. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, after all."

Strelitzia blinked. "Wait- brother?"

Vanitas just waved a hand dismissively. "Born and raised together. Course, I'm the only one that knows that, considering the state of his memories."

"You… remember?"

"Yep. I'd much rather not, though, considering…"

The war.

Strelitzia had only learned about it after meeting up with her brother. She knew that there were tensions when she died, but for it to come to a war? 

"I understand. There are things I wouldn't like to remember, too."

The two stood in an awkward silence, neither meeting the other's eyes.

Well… Vanitas did seem nice, and he didn't seem to be overwhelming like everyone else in this castle…

"Wanna… get out of this place? Go to some shops and people watch, perhaps?" 

Vanitas looked at her, his face unreadable. Eventually, he shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

His shadow bubbled, and a strange box creature quickly skittered away. Strelitzia decided not to mention it.

"Good! Good." She stood there for a moment. "Do you… know anywhere to go?"

Vanitas laughed. "Sure do. Come on."

Oh, why did she feel like she would never live that down?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Vanitas has an entire wing of the castle so that he has room for his unversed. That's the official reason, anyways. (Unofficially, everyone is still uneasy around him.)  
> -does strelitzia know what normal people do with their free time? Absolutely not. Is she trying anyways? Yes.  
> -strelitzia is new to this time and isn't really allowed out unsupervised because her heart is still fragile, so she's unfamiliar with anywhere people would go  
> -vanitas's natural eye color is crimson because I say so.


	2. Dearly Department Store

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo, paragraph indents! I'm finally writing on my computer and not my phone, so you get to enjoy those now.

The two ended up in a department store, a rather big one at that. Even if it didn’t have multiple levels, it still would have been huge. Strelitzia had never seen anything like it. She stopped to take in the huge wonder, jogging to catch up when she noticed Vanitas had gotten ahead.  
“So, what would you usually do in a store like this?” Strelitzia asked when she caught up  
Vanitas glanced at her, then looked around the store. “Browse, usually. But I’ve got something else in mind.” He smirked in a way that would have made Strelitzia distressed, were it not for the fact that she trusted Vanitas. “Before that, though, is there anything you need? Don’t want to get kicked out before we can buy anything.”  
Strelitzia bit her lip. “Not… that I can think of. My brother usually ensures that we remain well stocked.” She blinked. “Oh, I would like to see if they have a garden section, and if they do, perhaps grab a plant?”  
“Ah right, the little princess gardens. Can’t believe I forgot, when it fits your cookie cutter nature perfectly.”  
Strelitzia huffed. “I’ll show you cookie cutter. But first, the garden.”  
\---  
As it turned out, the store did have a garden. It took a while to find it, however, as it was located on the roof. Vanitas seemed oddly entranced by the plants, so Strelitzia left him to his devices.  
Sneaking glances at Vanitas occasionally, Strelitzia browsed the flowers. None of them seemed quite right. She needed something special, something different from the others in her collection. Her eye kept being drawn to a specific flower, yet it still didn’t feel right.  
It was a light purple, with petals peeled back to expose the center. The flowers were all bunched together, reminiscent of a bouquet. It was almost like somebody had taken a lilac and scaled it up.  
The hyacinth. Representing sport, rashfulness and… rebirth.  
So that’s why it drew her eye.  
Strelitzia walked over to it and gingerly picked up the flower. She rested it on her hip and began to pick up seeds. Vanitas, noticing that Strelitzia had chosen, made his way over.  
“That’s a lot of flowers, even for you, princess.”  
Strelitzia rolled her eyes. “It’s only one plant. Well, right now. As soon as we return I shall be planting both the flower and the seeds. Ideally I’ll have a happy little cluster of them soon enough.” Strelitzia quickly paid for her items, putting them in her personal storage space once she was done. “So, I do believe you had a nefarious plan?”  
Vanitas smirked.  
\---  
“Whoever gets to the first floor without getting caught wins. Magic is allowed. Attacking is not allowed. You have to win through the power of speed.” Vanitas listed off the rules.

Strelitzia nodded.  
“Okay. Now. Three… two… one… GO!”  
Both keybladers simultaneously cast aero behind them, sending their shopping cart mounts flying across the floor. Strelitzia used the broom she held in hand to perform a tight turn, unlike Vanitas who had spun around a pole using a hook. Both shot down another aisle. WIth some satisfaction, Strelitzia noticed that she was getting ahead. Across the aisle, the stairs loomed ominously. Strelitzia stood up in her cart, preparing to do a risky maneuver. Vanitas sped up.  
An aisle behind them, an employee walked in the see streak marks on the ground. They sighed and went to get the mop, while reporting the likely disturbance.  
Strelitzia, Vanitas, and the shopping carts went flying as the floor dropped out from underneath them, descending into stairs. Vanitas managed to clear them entirely; STrelitzia surfed her way down on the shopping cart. The two cast more aero spells to regain lost speed, continuing the race.  
They were almost out of the store, when abruptly, the doors closed. Strelitzia and Vanitas slammed into them full force, the glass barely holding up. Their shopping carts toppled and both fell out. Quickly, before the guards could catch them, Vanitas uprighted a shopping cart, grabbed Strelitzia and plopped her in it, and rammed the doors.  
The already cracked glass broke under the strength of Vanitas, and Strelitzia cheered as the two ran off into the night.  
\---  
“So, why are you the one in the shopping cart?” Vanitas asked as the two wandered through the city.  
“Cause, if you keep calling me princess, you have to treat me like one.”  
Vanitas snorted. “As if. In fact, why don’t I just dump you out right now?” He slowly began to tilt the cart.  
Strelitzia squeaked. “Do not! Why, if you do that I might just have to retaliate!”  
“Retaliate with what? Your tears?”  
“No! With my fu-”  
Vanitas tipped the shopping cart completely sideways.  
Strelitzia tumbled out, squealing. Vanitas just laughed. When Strelitzia stood, her eyes promised revenge. Vanitas smirked. He flexed his fingers, preparing for a fight. Strelitzia flexed her fingers, preparing for something much worse.  
Vanitas charged forward to deal the first blow, and then-  
fell to the ground in a fit of laughter as Strelitzia tickled him.  
The few who were on the streets so late at night shot the pair odd looks, the two a writhing mass of giggles and tickles.  
Eventually the “fight” tired out, leaving the two laying in the middle of the sidewalk, staring at the stars.  
“We should probably head back.”  
“Yeah.”  
Neither moved.  
“...this was fun. I haven’t- I haven’t had fun in a long time.” Vanitas mumbled.  
“I… me too. It was nice. To just… be a kid.” Strelitzia whispered in reply.  
In silent agreement, the two stood up, and left through the portal Vanitas summoned.  
\---  
The next day, Strelitzia stood up from where she was kneeling. It had taken a long time to find a good spot for her new flowers. They sat in an unoccupied patch of land around her namesake, where the roses had not yet touched. The two different types of flowers had a striking difference, yet Strelitzia smiled. It only seemed fitting after all. Exiting the garden, Strelitzia closed the door behind her.  
The roses drew ever closer.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -the world they visited was san fransokyo! It's not quite relevant informantion, but I figured I'd say it anyway  
> -if it wasn't obvious enough, the hyacinth represent Vanitas  
> -vanitas and strelitzia aren't really sure of what new friends are supposed to do and what boundaries they have, since neither have much experience; hence the seemingly fast pace of their relationship
> 
> Also, you should totally check out TheChildofDreams' "Rooftop Conversation", since it was both very good and written for this au!


	3. Fidgeting, Fussing, and Fibbing

Lauriam looked around, searching for a distinctive head of hair. Where was she? It spelled trouble if Strelitzia was missing for two days. Sure, it wasn’t unusual for his sister to disappear, but she always checked in with him. So where was she?   
_ There. _   
The fleeting spark of white passing a corner, long orange pigtails trailing behind. Lauriam quickened his pace. He turned the corner, and called out, “Strelitzia!”   
His sister turned to face him. “Yes, Lauriam?”   
“Where were you yesterday? I hadn’t heard from you at all, and I will admit, I got rather worried. Sora said he couldn’t get a hold of you either.”    
“Ah… I was out, er, exploring. Finding the best spot to watch the clouds, you know?” Strelitzia fidgeted with her dress.    
Lauriam frowned and did his best to project brotherly disappointment. “I don’t appreciate being lied to, Strelitzia. Now, where were you really?”   
Strelitzia fidgeted with her dress even more. “I- I went out shopping. I just wanted some new flowers for my garden…”   
“And you didn’t think to tell me? Or ask somebody to chaperone?” He sighed. “Dearest sister, your heart is still weak. You can’t just go frolicking off whenever you feel like it.” Noticing his sister becoming increasingly nervous, Lauriam softened. “Please, just tell me next time. I worry about you, Strelitzia. I don’t want to lose you again.”   
Strelitzia hesitated, then nodded. “I… thank you. I promise I will inform you of whenever I wander off alone from now on.”   
“Now then, Elrena and I were thinking of going out to the bistro in Twilight Town. Would you like to accompany us? Everyone is going to be out of the castle, so you’d be alone if you stayed.”    
Strelitzia paused. “I think I would rather rest. Thank you for the offer, though. But I would much rather spend the day tending to my garden.” Lauriam pursed his lips. “No offense meant, of course. And I promise that I’ll check in with you. Just… I need a break, please.”   
Lauriam took a deep breath, but ultimately relented. “Very well then. I presume I’ll be seeing you tomorrow for breakfast?”   
“You shall.” Strelitzia stood on her toes to give her brother a hug. Lauriam returned it. “Go have fun, Lauriam. I’ll be here when you get back.”   
After a moment, the two parted and went their separate ways.   
Behind a pillar, Vanitas frowned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -lauriam either doesn't know vanitas exists or disregards him. a bad move either way  
> -strelitzia is a terrible liar, due to never really having to lie, as she's not interacted with people enough  
> -note: strelitzia said she would notify him when she went out alone.

**Author's Note:**

> -Vanitas has an entire wing of the castle so that he has room for his unversed. That's the official reason, anyways. (Unofficially, everyone is still uneasy around him.)  
> -does strelitzia know what normal people do with their free time? Absolutely not. Is she trying anyways? Yes.  
> -strelitzia is new to this time and isn't really allowed out unsupervised because her heart is still fragile, so she's unfamiliar with anywhere people would go  
> -vanitas's natural eye color is crimson because I say so.
> 
> Also, you should totally check out TheChildofDreams' "Rooftop Conversation", since it was both very good and written for this au!


End file.
